Red Tide, dead fish back on Pinellas County beaches

Saturday

After a clear Friday, red tide reappeared in Pinellas County on Saturday morning, bringing with it countless dead fish washed up on beaches spanning from Clearwater to Fort DeSoto Park.

County crews and contractors are stationed at those beaches and others — Madeira Beach, Redington Beach, St. Pete Beach, Pass-a-Grille beach and Treasure Island — removing dead sea life from the sand, said Kelli Levy, director of environmental management for the county. Entrance fees have been waved at Fort DeSoto, she said, where water on the gulf side of the park "looks like tea."

"There are just too many to count," she said of the dead fish. "They’re stacked up."

Most of the fish in Clearwater had been cleaned up by 10 a.m., she said. However, city officials reported a strong odor lingering in the air and mild respiratory irritation, although the water is clear.

Waters at Madeira Beach and Redington Beach are dark and discolored, Levy said. The stench and irritation at the locations are strong.

Claire Selius has been working to put together the second annual Great Gay 5K race at Pass-a-Grille beach. Since red tide struck, she’s been in constant communication with the park about its status.

Everything was looking good until Saturday morning when she got to the beach and saw all the dead fish and could smell the air.

"My first thought was "When did this happen?’ " Selius said. "I was worried a lot of people wouldn’t show up because of it, too."

She was right.

Selius said only 225 people showed up for the race — 75 fewer than expected.

Jenni Schmidt was volunteering at race early Saturday and said the aroma was so bad, they passed out masks to participants. She estimated more than 100 were handed out.

"It was hurting my lungs," she said. "Getting out of the car it just assaulted you."

Schmidt said she couldn’t stop coughing and felt a burning sensation in her chest, even when she was wearing a mask.

Pat Mucciarelli, who lives three blocks from Pass-a-Grille beach, had a similar experience when she took her regular walk there Saturday morning. She smelled something strange as soon as she opened the back door of her townhouse, she said.

"The closer I got, the worse the smell was," said Mucciarelli, 67. "I walked to the surf and there were all the dead fish. There was not a soul on the beach."